Spring skiing just began, but ski resorts are already planning for next season. Epic and Ikon passes for the 2022-23 winter are now on sale, both of which have increased in price since last year.

After slashing the prices of passes last season by 20%, Vail Resorts saw more than 2.1 million Epic Passes sold, which factored into issues regarding lift lines, staff shortages and visitor complaints. The reduction brought prices to levels last seen during the 2015-16 winter season.

For the 2022-23 winter ski season, Epic officials increased the cost of passes by about 7.4%. The increase in prices is expected to help improve the experience for guests and employees.

---

---

At Lake Tahoe, Northstar California and Heavenly Mountain Resort will both benefit.

Heavenly is replacing the existing North Bowl Lift, a fixed-grip triple with a high-speed 4-person chair, that will increase uphill capacity by more than 40% and reduce the combined ride time of the Boulder and North Bowl lifts. This is expected to also reduce wait times at the Stagecoach and Olympic lifts.

---

---

Northstar’s Comstock Express will be upgraded to a high-speed 6-person chair and replace the existing mid-mountain 4-person chair. This upgrade is designed to reduce wait times at one of the mountain’s most popular lifts and will increase uphill capacity by nearly 50%.

The Epic Local Pass, which includes unlimited access to 29 ski areas, including Breckenridge and Keystone in Summit, will increase $43, from $583 to $626.

The Epic Pass will see an increase of $58, pushing the total from $783 during the 2021-22 season to $841 for the upcoming ski season. The Epic Pass provides access to 40 resorts, including all four of Vail Resorts’ properties in Colorado, which include Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone. The Epic Pass also includes unlimited access to Crested Butte, Park City, Whistler Blackcomb, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Stowe and Stevens Pass.

Alterra Mountain Co. has also increased the prices of its Ikon Pass products.

The full Ikon Pass has increased by about 8% across the board and there are no blackout dates.

The adult pass will increase to $1,079, and the young adult pass will see a price hike to $799.

The price of a pass for children ages 5-12 will increase by 6% from $319 to $339, while passes for children 4 and younger will remain the same at $149.

The Ikon Base Pass has blackout dates from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2 and on holiday weekends before Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day.

The adult Ikon Base pass will increase by 5.5%, from $729 to $769, while the young adult pass will increase by 3.5%, from $559 to $579.

The Ikon Base Pass for children ages 5-12 will increase by the largest margin for base passes with a 7.1% hike. The price increase moves the ticket price from $279 to $299. The Base Pass for children 4 and younger will remain fixed at $99.

The Ikon Session Pass, which provides four days of access to 30 resorts, is on sale for $419, an increase of 5% from $399 last season.

Both Epic and Ikon Passes are currently on sale and can be purchased at EpicPass.com and IkonPass.com.

Cody Jones is a reporter for the Summit Daily News, a sister publication of the Sierra Sun. He can be reached at cjones@summitdaily.com. The Tahoe Daily Tribune Tribune also contributed to this report.